Abbot House has had a major restructure to save it from closure.
The heritage centre Dunfermline’s oldest building posted massive losses of £38,000 last year and £20,000 the year before that.
Concerned about its financial sustainability, trustees have taken steps to reduce its running costs to ensure its doors remain open to the public.
This includes the loss of four staff, leaving seven employees. However, different posts are being advertised.
In addition, the sale of its car park to Fife Council which will be used to form part of the adjacent highly-anticipated Dunfermline Museum and Art Gallery will keep the wolf from the doors for around 2 years.
Robin Arnott, the chairman of the trustees, said: “Running a heritage centre requires a close eye to be kept on costs and, unfortunately, over the years, this has not always been the case.
“We do not receive operational funding from public or any other source and, consequently, have to raise all our running costs ourselves.
“We had reached the stage where our costs were greatly exceeding our income. We could not keep racking up the losses at that rate.”
Instigating a financial review last autumn resulted in a restructuring which, in a full financial year, should see the trustees being able to balance the books.
“We have slimmed the organisation down and some staff have left, with our good wishes for the future.
“By taking this action, Abbot House will be kept open to the public for the foreseeable future,” he added.
The award-winning heritage centre, which opened in 1995 and was gifted to trustees by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, also discovered a huge drop in visitor numbers something else it was now addressing.
“When we were doing our research, we noticed at the end of last year we were down 20,000 visitors from two years ago.
“I suspect some of that is to do with economic circumstances. But apart from the downturn was the fact the displays haven’t really changed much since it opened.”
So new initiatives have also been started to renovate the building which was a survivor of the Great Fire of Dunfermline in the 17th century and houses a wall painting unique in Scotland and draw in more visitors through the likes of medieval festivals.
“We want to see if we can develop this and try and encourage more folk to come in and have a look around.”
As part of the restructuring, the trustees have announced the appointment of Dr Devon McHugh as heritage director.
Dr McHugh, a historian, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the post. Having worked at the National Galleries of Scotland and at Abbot House for the past year, she has an in-depth knowledge of managing heritage provision and developing learning activities for all ages.
Dr McHugh also lectures at Edinburgh University and is the chairperson of Fife Museums Forum.
Now, the trustees are more confident about the future. And, with one of the new posts being advertised for a kitchen manager, there are hopes the historic house, in the heart of Dunfermline’s heritage quarter, can branch out into new markets, with the possibility of being used for receptions and other events.
“We are trying to broaden the scope and not be so reliant on one income stream, which is money from the cafe. We want to diversify,” he said.
With work now full steam ahead on the museum and art gallery, it would be tragic if Abbot House wasn’t there to complement it, he said. “We are taking the steps now to make sure that doesn’t happen.”